The ‘Need For Speed’ franchise is one that has gone through several changes over the years – from the streets to the mountains to the track. Sales have declined though, and the once guaranteed chart number one spot has eluded EA.
EA’s John Riccitiello explains why:
“I’ll tell you a story. If you went back to when I first got into the games industry, 1997, Need For Speed was a really strong title.
I’d come into EA just after we’d shipped a couple of relatively miserable ones. Our Need For Speed business was off… dramatically. We came up with this idea of putting a cop in the game. Suddenly this whole cat and mouse, cops and chasing thing blew the roof off.
We had several consecutive years of growth. We reached a bit of a lull period and came up with Underground which has sort of that night-time vibe and lightning which brought it to new heights – north of 10 million units for the franchise.
In the ’04 to ’07 period, we had a single studio, Black Box, up in Vancouver, building our [NFS games]. And we literally had them on a death march building for five years in a row. [They were] annual iterations, they had to put it out; no rest for the weary.
It’d happened before – games publishers do this from time to time. We should have put them on two-year alternating cycles but we didn’t. And the title declined dramatically. We started to lose people. they didn’t want to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
It was definitely our fault. Those days are gone. We’re back in two studios and we’ve got them on bi-annual cycles. We made really great progress… with a strong entry last year, which was more of a simulation game.
This year [with Hot Pursuit, NFS] is right back in the core action driving… it’s had a two-year dev cycle… I feel great about it.”
From what we have played, he’s not lying – the newest addition to the Need For Speed family is set to be an epic return to form.
Source: CVG
BIGAL-1992
I thought this was all history by now. Anyway, you could tell a mile off that the series was on the backburner during that time.
Topov81
So basically he acknowledges that annual dev cycles aren’t a particularly good idea ?… Maybe he should tell the EA Sports division.
bunimomike
Couldn’t agree more. I think the publishers see yearly offerings as frequent cash-ins but they don’t realise they’re doing damage to the overall franchise. Although, with sports games, we have a genre that almost demands annual updates due to roster changes although the key (for me) is “roster changes”. It should be DLC every other year to divide a bi-annual release cycle.
Rocket_345
So does this mean that Criterion are just going to be developing NFS games from now on? If so what does this mean for the Burnout franchise
TSBonyman
It was honest of him to admit their failings and as someone who enjoyed the original on PS2 i’m really looking forward to NFS HP!
jikomanzoku
I’m sure I recall an NFS game back in the heady days of the 3D0 :D
Certainly appreciate the guys honesty, so often when industry figures open their mouths these days it’s purely to indulge in crappy soap opera backstabbing and bitch fighting. Sometimes I wonder how long it will be before the games industry sprouts its own “Heat” magazine :(
TSBonyman
lol, i knew there must be a reason for the 2 in NFS HP2 ;) Thanks, must look for a vid of the 3DO game on youtube.
KAMIKAZE-UK
I could write an entire feature on the decline of EA and why I avoid almost all of their titles but I’ll just summarise by saying, EA = quantity over quality.
a inferior race
I really disagree. Mass Effect 1 & 2, Burnout, Dead Space, Dante’s Inferno, The Sims, Fight Night, FIFA, NFS, Skate and Battlefield. All are very good games and if EA continue to churn games of this quality in quantity then I will be very happy.
KAMIKAZE-UK
Half of those games are made by developers under the EA banner but those developers like Criterion, Visceral, Bioware, DICE (the “actual” creators of some of the “EA” games you like, most of the other games you noted have been reviewed badly as a whole) they do not seem to be under the same production line type ethos EA’s own studios are controlled, the guy admits to it on the article above. Tiger Woods, NHL, NFL blah blah blah are all churned out yearly with the sole purpose to milk a franchise, that’s all. NFL from the Madden days, NHL from the likes of Mario Lemeux and Tiger Woods lost it’s appeal years ago, they only ship half a game too! I’m refering to the course packs on the PSN store, poor vale for money imho.
At least half of EA ‘s titles are like the movies that go straight to DVD as sequels of original movies. The quality titles are from the studios EA bought. My point is; EA used to create great original games, now they acquire new studios that are creating the good stuff but need someone to market their games globally whilst EA earn dollars from brands without putting much thought into the art of games like they used to.
jikomanzoku
That’s the nature of business, you may well have read it already but No Logo by Naomi Klein sprang to mind reading this (interesting) exchange.
Successful businesses can eventually become so big they transcend the product and become a brand rather than a manufacturer. EA are a publisher these days as opposed to a devco and so their business is all about their brand, rather than actually getting their hands dirty so to speak.
For my tuppeny worth On I think EA have done a good job of coming through a really fallow period where their output was nigh on shovelware and now back some really interesting and creative devs, resulting in titles such as those listed by inferior race.
a inferior race
I agree with you in that EA does seem to have become more of a publisher but they have tried new IP and it is risky. Take Mirrors Edge as an example. A good game that tsnked and EA have learnt their lesson from this and have decided that the best way to make money is to buy a successful studio, that already has a good team and infrastructure set-up. Then EA can improve it and mix skills between studios to create better games (Medal of Honor, possibly).
The DLC problem is rife throughout the industry with some devs selling an unlock for content on the disk.
skibadee
totally agree very happy with EA titles.
Kovacs
I don’t think Mirror’s Edge tanked. And Dead Space was a new IP that has done remarkably well both commercially and from a critical standpoint.
Rocket_345
You must miss out on a lot of great titles then.
KAMIKAZE-UK
Having looked it up, Dead Space was developed at EA’s redwood studio so we can agree that this is a legitamate “original” EA title. I personally didn’t get on with the demo so I haven’t played the full game which is regarded quite high here on TSA. Mirror’s edge however was developed by DICE just like the Battlefield series.
I do find it incredibly frustrating when consumers feel resigned to being fleeced. I’ll happily purchase games like F1, Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed, Gran Turismo, Killzone, Red Dead Redemption, God of War. Games that are benchmarks, standard setters not rehashed sequels. I don’t expect to wait a lifetime between each sequel but I’d like to see EA put in just some of the effort that Polyphony Digital put into a game.
a inferior race
I agree that all those games are great, but how many have stayed original after the first. Uncharted 2 great game but largely the same as first. GT we will have to wait and see but IMO GT3 was the same as GT4. AC is pretty much exactly the same game but with a different map. KZ2 was pretty original but I expect KZ3 to be largely the same.
minerwilly
@kamikaze I didnt enjoy the Dead Space demo either but picked it up for free a few weeks ago and have recently started playing Im halfway through now and its fanbloodytabulous . One of the best TPS’s i have ever played and as good as the very best Resident Evil scary moments . The sound effects are incredible and apparently won the guy a Bafta or something .
KAMIKAZE-UK
@minerwilly, thanks. When I hit a lull and I see a copy going cheap I may take a chance on it but for now I’m sorted, F1 and a steering wheel arrives this week and I am very very very very very excited!
KAMIKAZE-UK
@a inferior race, I think original is the wrong terminology that is being used here. I’m trying to point out that EA add the next year to an old title, send out an advert and a new game mode and there you are, £40 please.
How do you make a better hockey game year on year? I hear you ask but then that’s the problem they create for themselves and the reason why I don’t buy a copy of a generic sports title made by them year on year.
Unlike Naughty Dog who made one of the best games I have ever played in Uncharted 2. And, in my opinion Uncharted 2 is 10 times the game Uncharted 1 was in almost all aspects.
a inferior race
You are right EA Sports titles are largely the same year-on-year until they develop a new engine, but I don’t really see any difference between annual updates and two-yearly updates that utlise the same engine. It just means that they have managed to squeeze a little more out of the engine between a longer time period.
Rocket_345
I didn’t get on with the demo of Dead Space either but i know people that have said the demo is shit compared to the game so i picked it up for £5 about a month ago and am really loving it. Despite that i agree with most of the things that you have said
aerobes
What a refreshing thing to read. EA really have come on leaps and bounds in recent years.
jikomanzoku
yeah, they seem to be a long way from the days of “EA wife”.
jikomanzoku
http://ea-spouse.livejournal.com/274.html
Grey_Ghost13
Agree with most people that it is a refreshing approach from EA. And I have to say that I like the way Activision and EA have gone two a 2 year cycle with their main titles and with two separate Devs. It builds a bit of competition between the two which results in better games built with a better level of polish. Yeah we end up with a game each year. But I don’t mind that. We as consumers consume games at a fast rate and would prefer to only have to wait a year for decent games than two to even 5+ years, I’m looking at you GT5, although the wait looks like it will be worth it!